A caravan is a small business operating for a defined period
of time

Anyone planning a caravan needs to consider the activity in the
same light as running a business or association. Success will depend
upon many factors including proper capitalization, effective and
complete planning, good marketing and publicity, staffing excellence,
product quality, and effective leadership.

The number of caravaners is one of the most important factors to
consider. A couple of friends on the road can function in an ad hoc
manner. Even up to five or ten rigs can often just drop in on a
tourist attraction, restaurant, or campground and find parking and
seats. But when you get more than a few rigs together, the odds of
success are greatly improved if prior arrangements are made to
accommodate the group ahead of time. Coordination and planning become
more and more important as the group size increases. The impact of
the group on the places they intend to visit must be considered. As
the group size gets larger, the significance of the small things, the
generally assumed OK things, becomes more and more important.

Keep in mind that there are commercial enterprises that offer
caravan services or even complete caravans with special tour guides.
Over time they develop contacts and resources that allow them to
provide their customers a unique experience and themselves an income.
Your caravan fills in to visit areas or serve needs that these
commercial enterprises do not, but that does not mean you are
competing with them or that you cannot learn from them.

Effective and complete planning

There are some who eschew planning (see USA Today column in
Resources below) in favor of executing but when you start
dealing with groups of people, explicit planning is a necessary
aid to make sure that everyone is on the same page and going the
same direction.

Focus, theme, common thread

A clearly articulated central theme or focus for the caravan
will provide a starting point for finding events and activities
to include and assist in marketing. A caravan is a structured
long term event for its participants and they will gain more from
that event if its components compliment and augment each other.

This focus articulates the goals, purposes, and mission of the
caravan and provides the skeleton from which the rest of the plan
hangs.

Proper capitalization

Calculating a plan for all expenses is a crucial first step
to determining the capitalization needs of the caravan. The money
for deposits and down payments will need to come from a club's
treasury in anticipation of being recovered through caravan fees
as people sign on to join the caravan.

Good marketing and publicity

There is a Catch 22 in planning a caravan: you need to know
how many people and rigs are going to participate in order to
plan events and activities but you need the events and activities
to obtain commitments to participate. You find out about such
things by doing effective marketing. Your market studies will
help you learn how many people might be willing to put the buck
on the table for the length of tour and the kinds of events you
plan.

Staffing excellence and effective leadership

Marketing and publicity is also necessary to encourage
volunteerism and participation. The quality of the caravan
experience will depend upon the people you can encourage to get
on board.

Product quality

Resources

Business Plans are one of those standard things that everybody and
their sister will sell as a magic bullet to business success. You
might even have some good material from a previous caravan or rally.
Proper planning, however, is much like the so called scientific
method: There are commonly known steps and practices and components
but the real success belongs in the leadership, creativity, and
thoroughness of the entrepreneur or scientists who actually
implement. Here are some resources that will help you learn about
business plans and what is needed, but keep in mind that it is up to
you to adapt these ideas to your needs and style and to create
success.

USA Today Column Burn your business plan -
http://www.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/2003-03-31-entre-plan_x.htm
"Increasingly, though, I am convinced that the key to the
success of most young businesses is to ignore all the venture
capital statistics and admonitions to write business plans, and
instead use all the creativity and diligence you can muster to tend
to your business. Put another way, you should be doing, rather than
writing about what you will do."

A summary of The Welsh Assembly Government's Action
Plan For Innovation Led by the Welsh Development Agency - A
government trying to stimulate innovation may have ideas for a
leader trying to stimulate volunteers.

Developing a
Business Strategy is a 'white paper' with good information about
how to implement the plan. Also check the links for addition
information about business planning. (this is also at PlanWare and
well worth a look)